Conference Agenda

Over the last decades, many countries invested in the development of induction initiatives and programmes, with the aim to support teachers in the early years of their career. Many teachers struggle in these years, resulting in high dropout rates, sometimes up to 30% (OECD, 2025). There is an urgent need for systemic interventions to enhance early-career teachers’ well-being and professional growth. This is a necessary step in battling the high attrition rate during the induction period, and work towards a more sustainable education workforce.

This symposium combines insights from a range of studies that report on initiatives and programmes during the induction period in 4 countries: Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Finland The symposium aims to uncover the type of learning of early-career teachers, and distill ingredients for successful induction programmes, in order to support schools, school-university partnerships, and starting teachers’ coaches/supervisors. ‘Successfulness’ in this context is conceptualized as supporting teachers’ professional growth, wellbeing and commitment, and ultimately avoid burnout and dropout during the first years of teaching and beyond.

In addition, induction programmes can also go a step further, and are an invaluable part of school improvement and an impulse for the quality of teaching. Early-career teachers not only need to grow professionally, but they also can be seen as resources (e.g. März & Kelchtermans, 2020), since they are a fresh pair of eyes, bring recent academic insights with them, and are often closer in age to students than their experienced colleagues. Recent studies have shown that teachers are more likely to retain when they feel that they are supported in their agentic endeavors, and feel that they can contribute to developments in their schools.

Each presentation provides in-depth insights into the nature and content of early-career teachers’ learning and development, and highlights catalysts and barriers to their development. The symposium combines experiences from 4 countries, each presenting data from their own – and thus different – contexts. This discussant addresses underlying patterns throughout the presentations and distills catalysts and barriers

Session Overview:

The Chair (5 min) starts by contextualising the objectives of the session and introducing the various studies. Then, presenters from 3 / 4 countries deliver focused 15-minute presentations each, offering headline findings related to early-career teachers’ learning and development during the induction period. These presentations will include a critical analysis of identified gaps and priorities within their respective contexts. The Discussant will take the analysis beyond the borders of the individual countries and actively engage the diverse experiences and perspectives present in the audience. The symposium closes with a dialogue with the audience, in which we reflect on the value and potential of induction programmes, from the perspective of (a) early-career teachers’ growth, and (b) school / educational development.

The following questions are central in the symposium:

Descriptive questions:

• How can schools and universities work together in providing induction experiences that help prevent attrition of early-career teachers?
• How do induction programmes account for the diversity among early-career teachers, such as age, first- or second-career teachers, type of contract, cultural diversity?

Analytical questions:

• What are catalysts that help early-career teachers grow, learn, develop?
• How can we understand barriers in enacting induction programmes, and how might these be dealt with?
• How can induction programmes work to encourage early-career teachers’ full potential as a resource in the school?

Together, the studies offer insights relevant to international debates on how induction can function as a lever for sustainable teacher retention.

Induction is widely recognised as a critical mechanism for supporting early-career teachers’ professional growth, wellbeing and retention, particularly given persistently high attrition rates in the first years of teaching (e.g. Sullivan, et al., 2022). Traditionally, induction has been conceptualised as a structured transition into full-time, ongoing teaching roles, supported through activities such as mentoring and professional learning (Mansfield & Gu, 2019), and the development of professional and non-professional networks (März & Kelchtermans, 2020). However, contemporary labour markets are increasingly characterised by early career teachers entering the profession through alternative pathways, such as part-time employment, casual relief teaching and short-term contracts (Rowe et al., 2026). Research has yet to adequately examine how induction responds to this growing diversity among early-career teachers (Reupert et al., 2023). Drawing on critical human resource management theory, this study conceptualises induction as a social and organisational process that can support teachers’ professional growth, sense of belonging and long-term commitment to the profession. This paper reports findings from a large-scale Australian survey examining early-career teachers’ access to and experiences of induction. Data were collected via an online survey of 824 teachers currently working in Australia, administered between September 2024 and June 2025. Participants were recruited through social media and teacher organisations. The survey gathered information on demographic characteristics, employment arrangements, and participation in a range of induction activities, including onboarding, socialisation, professional learning and enabling supports. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to identify patterns of access to induction across different employment types. The findings reveal significant inequities in induction provision. While 75% of early-career teachers reported receiving some form of induction, one quarter received none. Teachers employed in part-time, casual or short-term roles were significantly less likely to access induction than those in full-time, ongoing positions. Where induction was provided, it most commonly focused on initial onboarding activities. Fewer teachers, particularly those in casual or part time employment reported access to professional learning, sustained mentoring or enabling supports such as mentoring and additional relieftime. Only around 40% of participants experienced an induction that integrated multiple elements associated with effective induction. These findings suggest that current induction practices risk reinforcing workforce inequities and may inadvertently contribute to early-career teacher attrition, particularly among those in non-standard forms of employment. The paper argues for more inclusive and flexible induction frameworks that recognise workforce diversity, support early-career teachers’ growth and wellbeing, and position them as valuable contributors to school development.

Mansfield, C., & Gu, Q. (2019). “I’m finally getting that help that I needed”: Early career teacher induction and professional learning. The Australian Educational Researcher, 46(4), 639-659. doi:10.1007/s13384-019-00338-y März, V., & Kelchtermans, G. (2020). The networking teacher in action: A qualitative analysis of early career teachers' induction process. Teaching and Teacher Education, 87, 102933. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102933 Reupert, A., Sullivan, A., Tippett, N., White, S., Woodcock, S., Chen, L., & Simons, M. (2023). An Exploration of the Experiences of Substitute Teachers: A Systematic Review. Review of Educational Research, 00346543221149418. doi:10.3102/00346543221149418 Rowe, E., Sullivan, A., Tippett, N., Simons, M., Grist, E., Reupert, A., . . . White, S. (2026). Precariously employed early career teachers and induction policies: a critical policy study. Journal of Education Policy, 41(1), 45-63. doi:10.1080/02680939.2025.2580975 Sullivan, A., Down, B., & Johnson, B. (2022). Early Career Teachers' Work. In D. Mayer (Ed.), International Encyclopaedia of Education (4th ed.): Elsevier.

This contribution reports on a study that aimed to gain insights into early-career teachers’ self-esteem during their first years of teaching. 91 early-career teachers (ECTs) were included, who were involved in induction programmes, containing elements such as professional coaching and collaborative reflection sessions (Helms-Lorenz, 2020). Burke and Stets (2009) described self-esteem as an evaluation of one’s own professional identity, comprised of self-appreciation on the job and one’s performance as a teacher in general. Self-esteem not only affects the ability of ECTs to survive the first teaching years, but also affects their well-being, professional development, and lifelong learning. One of the major questions is how ECTs develop their self-esteem, and which experiences affect how it is formed. The ECTs completed semi-structured journals halfway through the first year of their induction in secondary education. Questions included: How would you describe yourself as a teacher at this moment (in general)? Was this image of yourself subject to change in the previous months and what affected this change? Next to self-esteem, we coded positive experiences with pupils, powerful moments in the classroom and meaningful feedback from colleagues or supervisors, and/or perceived professional development opportunities; and negative interactions with, for example, pupils, colleagues, school leaders and/or parents which were not in line with their current self-esteem. Results show that ECTs differed in their self-esteem, ranging from seeing themselves as innovative and ambitious about improving educational practices, to doubting their ability to become ‘good’ teachers. We found that the latter group was vulnerable to dropping out. More than half of the ECTs reported high self-esteem, while approximately one-tenth low self-esteem. ECTs with high self-esteem often reported positive experiences that boasted their self-esteem (i.e., continuous experiences), while those with low self-esteem frequently reported negative (i.e., discontinuous) experiences, undermining their self-esteem. One-third of the ECTs reported both high and low self-esteem, and they perceived their experiences as both continuous and discontinuous. This means that almost half of the ECTs in our study reported a high/low or low self-esteem, often caused by negative experiences with, for example, pupils and direct colleagues. Considering the predictive value of self-esteem (Crocker & Park, 2004), it is likely that those ECTs are vulnerable to teacher drop-out. Specific coaching and mentoring might help to support early-career teachers to deal with experiences that potentially affect their self-esteem in a negative way, in order to create more continuous experiences.

Burke, P.J., & Stets, J.E. (2009). Identity theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195388275.001.0001. Crocker, J., & Park, L.E. (2004). The Costly Pursuit of Self-Esteem. Psychological Bulletin, 130 (3):, 392–414. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.392. Helms-Lorenz, M. (2020). Begeleiding Startende Leraren 2014-2019. Eindrapportage. University of Groningen. [Supervising Beginning Teachers 2014-2019. Final report].

The teacher shortage poses a major challenge for education world wide, creating an increasing need for sustainable recruitment and retention of teachers. Second career teachers (i.e. professionals transitioning from another field) are often seen as a potential solution (Troesch & Bauer, 2017), but their specific trajectories and support needs remain underexplored (van Breugel, 2021). This study examines their motivation, induction, and retention in secondary education, aiming to provide insights into how second career teachers can be supported and retained in education. This qualitative study focuses on twelve second career teachers in secondary education. Eight respondents participated in two semi-structured interviews, and four participated once due to early departure or retirement. The interviews were analysed using thematic coding (Miles & Huberman, 1994). The thematic analysis highlighted four central themes: motivation, induction, retention, and development over time. Choosing to enter education appeared to be driven by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, with societal engagement playing the most decisive role. Only four second career teachers assessed the induction as fully positive, while most experienced it as insufficient—although they did find more informal support among colleagues. Retention was primarily influenced by passion for the subject, connection with students, and a supportive school team. Attrition was most often linked to inadequate support, salary issues, and a mismatch with the education system. The second interview round showed that those who stayed developed increased self-confidence and stronger collegial relationships, despite ongoing workload pressures and new internal school challenges. The results partially align with existing literature (e.g. Thomas et al., 2019). This study emphasizes that the success of second career teachers depends on a context that supports autonomy, connectedness, and competence. There is a significant need for differentiated induction, a realistic onboarding process, and structural appreciation (Coppe et al., 2021). This research offers valuable insights for policy and practice, but further study into the sustainable potential of second career teachers remains necessary.

Coppe, T., März, V., Coertjens, L., & Raemdonck, I. (2021a). Transitioning into TVET schools: An exploration of second career teachers’ entry profiles. Teaching and Teacher Education, 101, 103317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103317 Miles, M., & Huberman, M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. (2nd ed.). Sage. Thomas, L., Tuytens, M., Moolenaar, N., Devos, G., Kelchtermans, G., & Vanderlinde, R. (2019). Teachers’ first year in the profession: The power of high-quality support. Teachers and Teaching, 25(2), 160–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1562440 Troesch, L. M., & Bauer, C. E. (2017). Second career teachers: Job satisfaction, job stress, and the role of self-efficacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 389–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.07.006 van Breugel, K. (2021). Een succesvolle start in het voortgezet onderwijs met zij-instroom. https://www.voion.nl/media/4187/zo-geef-je-zij-instromers-een-goede-start.pdf

Recent international trends are alarming: the teaching profession and teacher education are attracting fewer individuals, while an increasing number of teachers are leaving the profession (e.g., Wrona et al., 2025), resulting in teacher shortages also in vocational education (e.g., Stellmacher et al., 2020). In the field of teaching and teacher education, it is therefore essential to better understand what attracts individuals to the teaching profession and what deters them from it in Europe. This multimethod study investigated Finnish vocational pre-service teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession, focusing on motivations for teaching as well as other individual and social factors. The participants (N = 365) were enrolled in vocational teacher education, and most of them were already working as teachers. Around two thirds of the participants were women (64.4%), with an average age of 45.4 years (SD = 7.8), and 2.8 years of teaching experience (SD = 5.0). Datasets were collected through an online questionnaire that included structured questions about teaching motivations according to the FIT-Choice (Factors Influencing Teaching Choice) framework (Goller et al., 2019; Watt et al., 2012), and both structured and open-ended questions related to commitment to teaching (Leijen et al, 2021; Watt & Richardson, 2008). The datasets were analysed using structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and qualitative thematic analysis. The quantitative results show that overall, vocational pre-service teachers are fairly strongly committed to teaching. Notably, self-related values (intrinsic values and perceived teaching abilities), along with job security are positively related to commitment to teaching. Conversely, commitment is lower when the teaching career is perceived as a fallback option. The qualitative findings also highlight the importance of self-related values, such as intrinsic interest in teaching, and further show how sociocultural aspects related to the work environment and the nature of work both promote and hinder commitment to a significant extent. Specifically, commitment to teaching is largely affected by teacher autonomy and supportive relationships within the work community – and their absence as well. The study provides valuable insights for policy makers, vocational institutions and vocational teacher programs, on how to make teaching careers more attractive and to enhance teachers’ retention in Finland and across Europe. The study highlights that during the induction phase, it is essential to recognise teachers’ key motivations and to support their fulfilment within the sociocultural working environments of VET, which play an important role in retaining motivated and committed vocational teachers.

Goller, M., Ursin, J., Vähäsantanen, K., Festner, D., & Harteis, C. (2019). Finnish and German student teachers’ motivations for choosing teaching as a career. The first application of the FIT-Choice scale in Finland. Teaching and Teacher Education, 85, 235–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.06.023 Leijen, Ä., Pedaste, M., & Baucal, A. (2021). Assessing student teachers’ agency and using it for predicting commitment to teaching. European Journal of Teacher Education, 45(5), 600–616. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2021.1889507 Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2008). Motivations, perceptions, and aspirations concerning teaching as a career for different types of beginning teachers. Learning and Instruction, 18(5), 408–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.002 Watt, H. M. G., Richardson, P. W., Klusmann, U., Kunter, M., Beyer, B., Trautwein, U., & Baumert, J. (2012). Motivations for choosing teaching as a career: An international comparison using the FIT-Choice scale. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(6), 791–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.03.003 Wrona, S., Gajderowicz, T., & Jakubowski, M. (2025). How to keep teachers in a profession in times of budget shortages? European Journal of Teacher Education, 48(1), 178–199. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2025.2454635